Army intelligence system gets new geospatial tools

As an improvement for the Army’s Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A), Esri has provided a revised set of customized templates that include maps, analytic capabilities and other visualization tools, according to a company announcement.   

DCGS-A is the Army’s common system for gathering, analyzing and sharing intelligence information from different echelons. It is capable of providing planning and direction, collection, processing/exploitation, analysis, prediction and production, battlespace awareness data dissemination, and relay capabilities. The system is able to integrate 600 sources of information.

For instance, DCGS-A is used to analyze imagery or map products, process collected cell phone data, report human intelligence, match biometrics and use NSA or aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.

Esri, which is known for creating geographic information systems, has created templates that will be used with DCGS-A to improve geospatial analysis for geospatial engineers, intelligence analysts and geospatial intelligence imagery analysts.

Esri staff worked closely with Army analysts and specialists to create customized templates to match system workflows.

"Esri is pleased to have partnered closely with the staff who work with the DCGS-A to deliver these important and innovative templates and tools for the US Army," said Esri President Jack Dangermond. "We designed them so the analysts can be more productive in what is a very fast-paced operational tempo."

The templates will provide geospatial information that could be used to map military compounds and landing sites for helicopters. Other new capabilities include:

• Intervisibility analysis to detect cover and concealment areas.
• Cross-country mobility analysis to identify travelable routes and key terrain features.
• Incident analysis to map improvised explosive devices and other events.

"Esri technology, such as the templates, gives the army an easy-to-use, technical advantage that helps soldiers optimize GEOINT capability resident in DCGS-A," said Col. Ed Riehle, the Army Training and Doctrine Command's Capability manager for sensor processing.

According to the announcement, the templates will be available on several Army websites such as the DCGS-A portal and the Intelligence Knowledge network. They will also be available on ArcGIS, an Esri product designed to manage geospatial information.